Grown Woman Stuff with Julee Jonez

‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? But it’s hard to enjoy festivities when your mind is cluttered with anxious thoughts. You’re struggling with additional pressures. Emotionally drained. Or you may be dealing with SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder. It’s more than the winter blues; SAD is an actual depression where the onset occurs during the fall or winter months. While dealing with the holidays...

Thursday it’s official. When Thanksgiving arrives, we can say the holiday season has started for real! The aura of the day is one we revel in. The smell of a good pound cake or sweet potato pie baking. Feeling that tryptophan high after the turkey meal. A game of Spades with the family. Christmas lighting ceremonies.  Yes, the season to be jolly is only days away. Although for some, the holid...

Before I take a break to reset for 2022, I’m going to do a few episodes on this season of lights, comfort food, gatherings, gift giving and more. It’s the Holidaze Series of Grown Woman Stuff with Julee Jonez! With Thanksgiving next week, it is officially the season of good grub. From cornbread dressing, to mac-n-cheese, to scrumptious desserts, it’s easy to please your palate a little too much. O...

Let me be clear. I am a church girl. I love the Lord. I’m a believer in Christ. I read my bible. I pray. And yes, I also believe in therapy. It’s not that Jesus isn’t enough but in an imperfect world, we are not perfectly wired. Sometimes we need assistance to help us become the best version of ourselves and work through our issues. As God gives each of us a purpose, He calls some people to fulfil...

As we go through this journey of life, we’ll face various seasons. There’s the highs we enjoy, such as excitement about a new opportunity. A long-awaited answer to prayer. The emergence of a new relationship. Bringing a child into the world -- or watching the one you raised have their own. Achieving a goal. The list goes on. While we rejoice during these time, we also know life deals us the lows,...

When it comes to guns, the discussion can get fiery. While the pun is not intended, it’s a fact. Because there are the “God, guns and Bible” people. Gun rights are as revered as their faith. You have others who support gun ownership for both personal safety and recreational use. A portion keep their gun(s) at home. Others prefer conceal and carry; some open carry. We have gun owners who want respo...

There is nothing like a good, sweaty workout. For me, it’s not about a number on a scale, but how I feel when I’m done. I unload my stress. Feed my soul as I listen to a podcast. Burn off those snacks – my weakness. Being fit is only a portion of why my gym membership remains. Now, I ain’t gonna sit and lie; at five-feet-tall, I try to maintain fitting into my favorite jeggings. Yet, I know appear...

I’ve been an avid reader since first grade, as books were an escape for me in childhood. I’d often immerse myself in reading on a Sunday afternoon. Or I’d try out “acting” out the story of the moment with friends. (Sidebar: My directorial debut of “Shelia the Great” by Judy Blume didn’t go so well. My neighborhood cohorts weren’t following my blocking instructions at all!) As I’ve gotten older, re...

Dia Wall is one of the realest. Periodt. This sista is what I call part of the “Soul Patrol” on KSHB. As an award-winning journalist, Dia does her duty reporting the news. But she does something else I admire. She knows her agency. Dia shows up in her space unapologetically. She’s not just a face at the table but uses her voice and personal perspective, bringing attention to what impacts us – as w...

Hey, sis. Have you ever felt like you needed to make a pivot? Get back to doing you? Or as Auntie Maxine Waters so eloquently said in August 2017: “Reclaiming my time.” It became more than a meme but a Black woman anthem. Albeit the procedural phrase was used to disrupt being interrupted, the words felt poignant. It was beyond the aspect of silencing women in society. “Reclaiming my time” became r...

Hey, sis! Thank you for joining me today because this tea is hot, Chile. We’re talking about being saved and sexually positive. Let me explain. If you grew up in the church, what messages did you hear about sex? I can recall some, like: “Don’t do it before marriage.” “You'll go to hell for fornicating.” “If you have sex, you’ll get pregnant.” Sound familiar? While those are a few examples, we also...

I remember binge watching Girlfriends a while back. There was one episode I apparently missed when it first aired. While I don’t recall the entire plot, one line stood out. William and Joan had been intimate and he unveiled something personal about their “relations”. "Joan's an ouch ooch girl." Yes, William said that. In other words, she was skittish when it came to sex due to it hurting. While th...

In the aftermath of high profile Black female athletes, Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles, taking a step back to focus on their mental health, the conversation of choosing self over the expectations of others is coming to the forefront. And I am here for it. Although many applauded these young women for having the courage to be transparent about their struggle, the critics and haters showed up, too. Pe...

Hey sis! Well, we’re on the fourth and final episode of the FIT Series. I’ve enjoyed these convos on health -- and hope you have as well. I’ve gleaned from our guests on everything from misconceptions about being fit, to overcoming obstacles such as age and economics when it comes to working out. We’ve discussed fitness entrepreneurship, making career pivots, one guests’ near-fatal battle with COV...

Hey sis! We're three-deep in the Fit Series and I hope you've enjoyed what you've heard so far. Today is a real treat - pun intended – because this guest can throw down in the kitchen. Chef Terri Allen has always been a mover and shaker. (Also runner as a Hickman Mills Cougar track girl!) Terri went from various entrepreneurial pursuits -- including a dry cleaners -- to becoming a fitness guru. As...

Hey sis! Glad you’re here for the second episode in the Fit Series as I chop it up with Nicki Jones, CEO of NickiFit! Her slogan is, “Commitment. Consistency. Control.” And the sista knows how to help us stay committed, practice consistency and execute control. Nicki’s story into her entrepreneurial venture and fitness journey is inspiring. I worked with Nicki in the Chrysler call center back in t...

Hey sis! I had to take a moment away, preparing for a busy summer. My son just graduated high school and we’re preparing for college so my mood has been up and down. When that happens I do two things outside of praying. Emotionally snack or exercise. So yeah, ya girl has to stay in the gym. And I need to work on this sugar habit. But summer is the time when folk focus on their #HotGirlSummer and v...

There’s nothing like the “new” thing in your life. A new job. New house. That new opportunity. We get excited like little kids at Christmas as we “unwrap” it. While we love the new, there’s also something to be said about the old-endings. When you achieve a long-term goal. Ending a long-term assignment. Celebrating a finished accomplishment. Beginnings and endings are what we embrace. It’s living...

In church, we’ve heard the preaching and teaching on being “unequally yoked”, right? While scripture is referring to not creating the covenant of marriage with a non-believer, is it possible to be unequally yoked in other areas of your life? Is your career yoked with your divine purpose? Does your scheduled to-do list align with what brings you meaning, joy or peace? Are your friendships in sync w...

I am so hype for today’s chat with New York Times best-selling author, Kimberla (Kim) Lawson Roby! I remember when I first got an email to interview her about one of her books in the Reverend Curtis Black series. From the moment I read, “Casting the First Stone” I was hooked. The fictitious philanderer mirrored to some real-life slippin’ and tippin’ pastors. Whew, chile. All the characters in the...

Do you ever find yourself stuck? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “Is this all?” Or the question “Did I make the right career choice?” has run through your head. Maybe you’re meandering in the midst of insecurity or uncertainty. I’ve dealt with all those things, sis; you are not alone. But we must believe that where ever we are, it’s not too late to make a change. A pivot is possible. Or as today’s...

Be your authentic self. We hear the phrase. We see the hashtags. Some of us have bought the t-shirt! But are we really showing up in the totality of who we are in every situation? I’m gonna keep it a buck. I know I haven’t always done so. Big facts. Why? Because of the judgement I received being authentically who I am. I’ve been labeled as “too loud."  My passion has been mistaken for being “...

Dear America, You’re welcome. Ya’ll gonna learn to listen to us. Signed, Black Women I’m being facetious but low-key serious. After the 2020 election, we saw people singing the praises of Black women. Even for those on another political side, they can’t deny the impact Black women made this election cycle. It further solidifies what we already know: When Black women show up, we change the game. I...

Sometimes we make these lofty goals when it comes to fitness and health. We say, “I’m gonna work out 6 days a week!” Within 6 weeks, that 6 days has become 1 or 2. We declare, “I’m going straight vegan!” Then the invite to a barbecue has us partaking of that meat life. We post images of six packs and snatched waists. When ours doesn’t come in a month or so, we’re like, “This is taking too long. Ne...

Abandonment. Abuse. Depression. Racism. Rejection. All of these issues can result in personal trauma. Trauma manifests in our lives — and in various ways. From impacting our self-image, to how we parent or show up in romantic relationships, unresolved trauma has a lasting affect on us. But we can find ways to cope — and heal — through therapy. You may be thinking,“I haven’t gone through anything l...